Crises of non-participation

Crises of non-participation

Ross Fergusson

Publisher:

Policy Press

DOI:10.1332/policypress/9781447307013.003.0001

Chapter One highlights the wide-ranging evidence of a crisis of unemployment and more general non-participation among young people in the UK and internationally, and identifies a parallel crisis in academic analyses of non-participation and its relationship to crime. In particular it argues that the academic study of young people has contributed relatively little to a convincing account of how and why mass unemployment and non-participation have become associated with crime. Disciplinary separations and divisions between analytical approaches are proposed as contributory factors, and the chapter queries claims of a rapprochement between divided traditions of youth studies. Insights into the relationship between non-participation and crime that take full account of the effects of changing education and welfare policies and labour market circumstances have been scarce, especially regarding the transformative impacts of the Global Financial Crisis on young people’s options and their prospects for financial and social independence. The chapter provides a brief overview of seven key texts spanning two decades that have been exceptions, making important contributions to understanding young people’s non-participation in these broader contexts, by crossing disciplinary boundaries and providing critical theoretical analyses. It concludes by setting out the detailed aims, structure and coverage of the book.

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